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Custom LEGO RiGGED System by BrickForge

by Thita (admin) on September 16, 2014

in LEGO Customizers

You may remember that recently we talked about a new set of accessories by BrickForge, one of the most prominent LEGO customizers (see: Custom LEGO WWII Items by BrickForge). These items are actually part of a brand new product-line introduced by BrickForge called the RiGGED system, which allows LEGO fans to design and decorate their minifigs in a lot more creative ways than before. A second set of accessories have been just released within the same line, so I thought to write an update.

Custom LEGO by BrickForge WW2-Axis-Get-Rigged

According to BrickForge’s blog, RiGGED stands for: Rapid – Interchangeable – Guns – Gear – Equipment – Design. The RiGGED system is a type of MMA (Modular Minifigure Accessory) structure and consists of traditional 3mm & 1.5mm peg & hole combinations integrated into quality ABS minifig accessories. Armors, belts, straps & other types of pack devices contain a series of 1.5mm pegs; constructing a three-dimensional canvas to which minifig enthusiasts can attach a number of other RiGGED accessories. The mix of which spawns hundreds of color/type combinations making each minifig more unique than the previous.

Custom LEGO by BrickForge WW2-Allies-Rigged

“MMA – Modular Minifig Accessories are clearly the next evolution of 1.5” scale figure elements.” says Kyle Peterson (a.k.a. Armothe), owner of BrickForge Minifig Accessories. “Instead of a single piece of armor with various details molded into the design, the RiGGED system offers enthusiasts the opportunity to build their own custom body armor; where details consist of actual elements that can be pieced together to form a complete assembly.”

Custom LEGO by BrickForge WW2-Allies-Rigged-Dynamics

BrickForge has introduced the RiGGED system with its recent assortment of World War II accessories. Wave 1 consists of 17 elements in 6 colors. The Field Suspenders and Haversack are composed of pegs while most hand-held pieces are molded with a corresponding cavity. In addition, most firearms have removable attachments such as scopes, magazines & bipods – useful for creating multicolored accessories. Wave 1 elements like the Haversack can also attach to existing BrickForge elements like the Shock Trooper Armor & Tactical Vest.

Custom LEGO Military Accessories by BrickForge

And the recently released Wave 2 introduces 20 new accessories modeled after items used by the AXIS powers during World War II, such as Fallschrimjager, Afrika Corps & Nachtjager.

“Wave 1 was about the heroes, Wave 2 introduces the villains.” says Armothe. “Well, I suppose one could argue they were heroes for their country – either way minifig fans have a few more RiGGED accessories to mess around with”.

The new wave includes a printed M35 German Helmet, two-tone Stick Grenade, Field Cap, Satchel, Modular Vampir rifle, and more. Because elements are engineered with the RiGGED system they inherently couple with items from Wave 1, expanding customizing possibilities. There are also plans for a Wave 3 of accessories (and probably more) and new colors.

I’m really excited about this new system and the possibilities. I’m not so much into the World War I and II era, so I haven’t gotten any of the accessories yet, but I’m planning to get at least some to try out. It is interesting to know that they are quite similar in concept to the Mega Bloks modular minifigure accessories, especially in the Mega Bloks Call of Duty sets. I always liked the options the modular system offered, and was hoping that something similar will be used by LEGO at some point. So I’m happy to see BrickForge’s pioneering work in this regard, and I hope that they will also expand the system into other themes.

Custom LEGO BrickForge and Mega Bloks Comparison

If you are interested in the new selection you can check out BrickForge’s Online Shop. Here I’m directly linking to the new WWII items, but you can also check out their full selection from the sidebar. BrickForge representatives also frequently attend LEGO shows and conventions, so if you happen to visit one, check out the vendors. It is really nice to see all the custom LEGO items in person. Please note that I have no affiliation with BrickForge. I just really appreciate their talent, work-ethics, and products.

So what do you think? How do you like BrickForge’s WWII selection? Are you planning to get any for your own minifigs? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below!

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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Five great YouTube channels for LEGO fans

by Thita (admin) on September 15, 2014

in Useful Resources

(Written by Ernest)

Today I would like to talk about some of my favorite YouTube channels related to the LEGO hobby. There are actually hundreds of channels run by LEGO fans; some share their own creations, some make LEGO stop-motion videos, some cover LEGO related news, and some review official LEGO sets. Here I will focus on YouTube channels with LEGO review videos, as they are a great resource for checking out LEGO sets that you are interested in. All of these channels consistently produce great review videos and have a positive reputation within the LEGO community. I will talk about the pros and cons of each channel, and my personal opinion on them. 🙂

➡ JANGBRiCKS YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Jang originally named his channel LEGOJang and focused on LEGO Bionicle and LEGO Hero Factory reviews (we have talked about his channel before here: The Best Hero Factory & More Reviews). He was not well known those days, however when he branched out to reviewing other LEGO sets, and continued to refine the quality of his videos, he became tremendously popular. About a year ago the channel was renamed to JAGNBRiCKS, where Jang continues to provide a detailed review of official LEGO sets through the eyes of an adult LEGO fan. He is known for his tasteful presentation, clean and distraction-free background, gentle voice, and solid filming and video-editing. Apart from doing official LEGO set reviews, Jang also reviews Mega Bloks sets, and shares his own LEGO creations – like his constantly expanding LEGO City. These are built with the same excellence and attention to detail that characterizes his reviews. You can get a lot of inspiration and learn interesting building techniques from watching these videos. Here is the link: YouTube.com/user/LEGOJANG

Pros of JANGBRiCKS’ Channel:

High-quality videos almost every day.
The video reviews are very detailed and covers all aspects of a LEGO set.
Reviews on most official LEGO themes, including: LEGO City, LEGO Creator, LEGO Friends, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Hero Factory, LEGO Legends of Chima, LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Galaxy Squad, and more.
Also reviews of old LEGO sets like LEGO Classic Space, which are not commonly done by other channels.
Reviews of other construction toys like NANOBLOCK and Mega Bloks.

Cons of JANGBRiCKS’ Channel:

Sometimes the videos are lengthy because Jang covers even the smallest details. This is a good thing if you are really interested in all the details and have the time to watch the entire video, however if you are just looking for a quick review you might get impatient.

➡ THE BRICK SHOW YOUTUBE CHANNEL: The Brick Show is run by brothers Jason and Steven as kind of like a TV channel just for LEGO fans. They cover LEGO related news and reviews, as well as other brands like Mega Bloks, etc. They are really good at staying on top of all breaking news and reviewing the latest LEGO sets. Recently they recruited a few more people to help with the channel and provide a larger variety of videos. For instance they are now doing more videos on LEGO gaming and LEGO conventions. Here is the link: YouTube.com/user/BrickShowTV

Pros of The Brick Show’s Channel:

Stays on top of all the latest news related to the LEGO hobby, so you can stay up-to-date. This is a very well rounded channel that includes pretty much everything a LEGO fan would want to know about.
Offers a very large variety of videos, including LEGO set reviews, LEGO video-game reviews, LEGO book review, custom LEGO accessories review, LEGO shopping tips, suggestions on the storage, display and care of LEGO sets, and more.
The LEGO set reviews provide an in-depth look of each set, however they are not as detailed as JANGBRiCKS’.

Cons of The Brick Show’s Channel:

Some older LEGO fans consider the reviews a bit too child-oriented. In other words it feels like Jason and Steven are talking to children rather than adult LEGO fans. I don’t think this is a problem, but some adults seem to be irked by it.
Occasionally the videos are a bit shaky and the camera cannot focus on the LEGO model properly. This is more prevalent on the older reviews posted on the channel and there have been dramatic improvements.

➡ EVANTUBE HD YOUTUBE CHANNEL: EvanTube HD is actually one of the top 50th YouTube channels with almost 800,000 subscribers, so yes, it is extremely popular. Evan is a very articulate and funny kid, and he – along with his younger sister – reviews LEGO sets as well as many other toy brands from the perspective of a child. The channel is not just informative but also very entertaining – if you are into this sort of stuff. The presentation of the videos is very professional (Evan and his family makes a great deal of money from the channel). Besides LEGO set reviews occasionally EvanTube HD produces LEGO related real-life videos, like the “Great LEGO Adventure”. This has been a hit on YouTube and I love to watch it too! Here is the link: YouTube.com/user/EvanTubeHD

Pros of the EvanTube HD Channel:

All the videos are shot in excellent quality – probably the best of all the YouTube channels I mention in this article.
The LEGO review videos are short and concise, good for impatient viewers like me!
Evan seldom reviews other brick-brands besides LEGO, although he does review other toys (like Angry Birds, Minecraft, etc.).

Cons of the EvenTube HD Channel:

Evan does not upload LEGO review videos very often, so you might have to wait a week or two for a new review.
Evan’s LEGO review videos are not as detailed as JANGBRiCKS’ or The Brick Show’s.
The LEGO sets that Evan reviews are limited to only a few themes, like LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Ideas and LEGO Ninjago.

➡ ARTIFEX CREATION YOUTUBE CHANNEL: This is a very different kind of LEGO review channel, providing time-lapse building videos of LEGO sets. It is like watching LEGO sets come to life! They are quite amazing and fun to watch. Artifex Creation also used to provide 3D videos about a year ago, which I thought was a huge breakthrough. However they stopped producing those, which left me quite disappointed as I really liked those. But it is still an excellent channel to see how LEGO sets come together. Here is the link: YouTube.com/user/ArtifexCreation

Pros of Artifex Creation’s Channel:

Time-lapse building videos of practically all LEGO sets and themes that are excellently made.
Occasional uploads of LEGO stop-motion story videos and custom LEGO creations, which are pretty impressive.

Cons of ArtifexCreation’s Channel:

Artifex Creation produces time-lapse videos only. Viewers will see how the building of the LEGO set comes together, but they don’t get an understanding if the set is good or not.

➡ OFFICIAL LEGO YOUTUBE CHANNEL: This is LEGO’s own channel, and the best place to watch official LEGO videos. It includes product commercials, designer videos, LEGO films and tips from LEGO designers. This channel is the ideal place for any LEGO fan who are searching for official LEGO content. Here is the link: YouTube.com/user/LEGO

Pros of LEGO’s Channel:

Access to all official LEGO videos in one place.

Cons of LEGO’s Channel:

The channel is quite messy as far as organization, and it is difficult to find the videos you are looking for. This is especially so because each video is uploaded in several languages, cluttering the channel quite a bit.
There is normally no exclusive content on this channel. Almost all videos can be found at LEGO.com as well.

And that concludes what I consider the top five LEGO related YouTube channels. My personal favorite is either JANGBRiCKS or The Brick Show – I really like them both, and can’t decide which one is better. What about you? Which YouTube channel(s) do you like the most that is related to the LEGO hobby? It’s totally fine if you don’t agree with my list because this topic is always going to be very subjective based on personal preferences. I would love to hear about your favorites, so please feel free to share them in the comment section below! Also, I’m a TFOL (Teen-Fan-of-LEGO), and this is my third article here at theBrickBlogger. Your feedback is welcome! Thanks for reading! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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Custom LEGO RiGGED System by BrickForge

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